Originally published by the PGA of Alberta

Round 2 of the Cobra Puma Golf Sponsored Assistants’ Championship at the gorgeous Lynx Ridge GC saw rainy and gloomy weather to start the day but beautiful conditions as the later groups and leaders started their back nines.

It was an extremely exciting day as Riley Fleming (NGA Dome) and Wes Heffernan (Dynamic Motion Golf Performance Centre) distanced themselves from the field and battled it out all afternoon to see who would take the Championship home. Everyone including competitors were glued to the online leaderboard as Riley and Wes dueled it out.

Champion Riley Fleming had a great 3-under par 33 after 9 to sit at 8-under and two strokes off the lead. However, he raised his play to an even higher level on the back 9 and managed to card a stellar 4-under par 31 to finish the day at 7-under 64 and the tournament at a ridiculous 130 total. The turning point on the back 9 was hole 16 as Riley was able to make eagle and create 2 strokes of separation between himself and Wes.

Heffernan started the day off in another dimension as he tore up the front 9 with an out-of-this-world 8-under par 28, with birdies on the first 5 holes, an eagle on the 6^th, birdie on the 7^th and two pars to finish 8^th and 9^th to sit at 10-under par through 9. He had a solid back 9 going even par to finish the day at 8-under par 63 and the tournament at 10-under for a total of 132.

Holding onto sole possession of 3^rd was Kent Fukushima (Redwood Meadows G&CC) who had a stellar 2 Rounds carding a 7-under par 64 on the first day and a 3-over par 74 for Round 2 for a tournament total of 138. Dillion Batsel (Desert Blume GC) finished in sole possession of 4^th carding a 1-under par 70 on Day 1 and 71 for Round 2 for a tournament total of 141.

Eric Locke (Priddis Greens G&CC) (73, 69) and David MacComb (Blackhawk GC) (70, 72) ended tied for 5^th with tournament totals’ of 142. Blaine Kruger (Stony Plain GC) (68, 75) and Dustin Risdon (The Players Shack) (73, 70) ended tied for 7^th both shooting tournament totals of 143.

After Riley’s victory today, he has guaranteed himself a spot on the Alberta Assistants’ Team which will be competing in the PGA of Canada Assistants’ Championship hosted in Ontario on September 16-19.

Special thanks to our wonderful long time sponsor Cobra Puma Golf and the entire Lynx Ridge GC team for hosting a great event!

See full tournament results here.

Originally published in the Red Deer Advocate

Red Deer’s Garrett Scott captured the title this weekend at the 97th Central Alberta Amateur.

At the Red Deer Golf and Country Club, Scott put up a three-day total of one-over-par 217 to win the tournament by two strokes over Michael McAdam, who finished at three-over.

Jordan Krulicki fired a four-over-par 220 in the 54-hole tournament to finish third.

In the first flight, Sylvan Lake’s Logan Graf earned the win with a 10-over-par 226. Tom Watchhorn and Jon McLean tied for second at 11-over.

Dale Bingham was the winner in the second flight at 16-over-par, six shots better than second-place finisher Chad Allan. Kevin Rudosky won the third flight and Phil Pattison was top spot in the fourth flight. Wade Krusky took first place in the fifth flight and Sean Hannon won the sixth flight.

In the senior championship flight, Ken Griffith beat Howard Braun in a playoff to earn the title. Griffith and Braun finished at two-over-par. Grant Lee was third at six-over-par.

Titleist, the longstanding #1 iron on the PGA Tour, delivers three strikingly new iron designs as part of the Titleist T-Series – available for fittings beginning this Thursday, Aug. 8 (and in golf shops Aug. 30).

Powered by breakthrough technology – including Max Impact for maximum speed and distance control across the face – the new T-Series T100, T200 and T300 models offer a combination of power, performance, playability and feel unlike anything Titleist has ever designed:

• A true players’ iron, T100 offers confidence-inspiring looks and Tour-quality performance with signature Titleist feel. A new fully-forged cavity construction is balanced by co-forged, dual-density tungsten for precise distance control with exceptional stability.
• T200 delivers powerfully playable distance with a tour-inspired look and feel. Max Impact technology spreads maximum speed and distance control evenly across T200’s thin, forged L-face ­– with high launch and stopping power – to convert near misses into nearly perfect.

• T300 offers the most forgiving player’s experience possible with a modern shape that rewards with faster ball speeds and preferred feel. Max Impact technology extends maximum speed across an extremely forgiving mid-size face, powering a fast cavity-back design that delivers the best combination of high launch, long distance and forgiveness.

“There are three key elements to hitting a great iron shot: distance, dispersion and angle of descent,” said Marni Ines, Director, Titleist Irons Development, Golf Club R&D. “T-Series technology helps players carry the ball longer and hit their number more consistently, even when they don’t make a perfect strike. Dispersion is tighter, so the ball stays on target. And trajectory is optimized, so the ball not only lands on the green, but stays there. Length means nothing if you don’t have control.”

INTRODUCING MAX IMPACT

T200 and T300 irons are powered by Max Impact Technology, a striking innovation that extends maximum speed across the entire face of mid and long irons while preserving superior sound and feel. A super thin face is backed by a unique polymer core – developed in partnership with Titleist Golf Ball R&D – to provide consistently better distance from every swing.

“Max Impact allows us to make thinner, faster faces that push the limits of iron ball speed,” Ines said. “With this system in place, we’re able to take our materials and make them thinner and faster to maximize speed across the face, and help give us the launch angle we need to deliver more consistent distances on every swing. In other words, you’ll end up with more shots that hit the green – and stop there.

FREE TRIAL & FITTINGS

Beginning Aug. 8, golfers can experience the performance of new T-Series irons by attending a Titleist Fitting and Trial event (including Titleist Thursdays), being held at hundreds of locations nationwide. To find an event, or book a free T-Series iron fitting with a Titleist Product Specialist, golfers can visit https://www.titleist.ca/events.

T100 PERFORMANCE & TECHNOLOGY

The player’s iron, T100 is masterfully designed to achieve new heights of tour-level precision with signature Titleist feel. A result of direct tour player feedback – including Jordan Spieth, who put a full set in play at the Open Championship – the T100 is for the player who wants to play a true Tour iron.

• New fully-forged dual cavity construction provides precise distance and control.
• Thinner, more responsive face increases ball speed across the face.
• Co-forged dual-density tungsten (with an average of 66 grams placed in the heel and toe of the mid and long irons) delivers exceptional stability.
• Tour-refined sole shape features a thin topline, minimal offset and enhanced camber for improved turf interaction.
• Progressive set design – with progressive blade lengths, sole widths and hosel lengths – delivers optimal CG positioning with preferred shaping through the set.
• Available irons: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, P, W50.

“With T100 we wanted to build an iron that delivers incredible performance and perfectly suits the player’s eye,” Ines said. “This is a precision product. It’s not about hitting it the furthest, it’s about hitting it that exact distance each and every time, being able to work the ball when necessary and having that pure look and feel that the best players in the world demand.” 

T200 PERFORMANCE & TECHNOLOGY

T200 is the player’s distance iron, with Max Impact technology subtly integrated into a shape that satisfies the discerning eye. With T200, players gain the distance they want without sacrificing looks, feel, trajectory or stopping power.

• Max Impact technology delivers maximum speed and distance control across a forged SUP-10 L-Face Insert.
• High-density tungsten (with an average of 90 grams placed in the heel and toe of the mid and long irons) produces low CG for higher launch with stopping power.
• Progressive set design – with progressive blade lengths, sole widths and hosel lengths – delivers optimal CG positioning with preferred shaping through the set.
• Tour-inspired look and feel with thinner topline and enhanced camber for improved turf interaction.
• Available irons: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, P, W48.

“When you have a face technology like Max Impact, it becomes doubly important to balance the construction with high-density tungsten to achieve the high MOI you need to keep the club stable at impact,” Ines said. “Having such high MOI properties at our blade lengths allows the iron face to return more energy to the golf ball on off center shots and produce more consistent distances. If you don’t have a high MOI, you’re not going to get the full benefits out of your face design.”

T300 PERFORMANCE & TECHNOLOGY

The player’s improvement iron, T300 is powered by Max Impact technology to extend maximum speed evenly across an extremely forgiving mid-sized face. T300 is designed for the player who wants high launch, long distance and forgiveness they can trust.

• Mid-sized, fast cavity-back design is designed for maximum distance and forgiveness.
• Max Impact technology delivers maximum speed and distance control.
• High-density tungsten (with an average of 52 grams placed in the heel and toe of the mid and long irons) produces a low CG for a higher, easy launch.
• Progressive set design – with progressive blade lengths, sole widths and hosel lengths – delivers optimal CG positioning with preferred shaping through the set.
• Available irons: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, P, W48, W53.

HIGH PERFORMANCE STOCK SHAFT MATRIX

The T-Series’ high-performance stock shaft matrix includes premium steel (True Temper AMT) and graphite (Mitsubishi MCA Tensei) aftermarket options designed with tour-proven ascending mass technology.

which provides lighter long iron shafts for increased launch and speed and heavier short iron shafts for control in specific weight ranges matched to the target players for T100, T200 and T300.

T100:

• Steel: True Temper AMT Tour White | Low launch, low spin | 106-130g (3g per club)
• Graphite: Mitsubishi MCA Tensei White AM2 | Low launch, low spin | 94-108g (2g per club)

T200:

• Steel: True Temper AMT Black | Mid launch, mid spin | 95-116g (3g per club)
• Graphite: Mitsubishi MCA Tensei Blue AM2 | Mid launch, mid spin | 74-88g (2g per club)

T300:

• Steel: True Temper AMT Red| Low launch, low spin | 95-107g (3g per club)
• Graphite: Mitsubishi MCA Tensei Red AM2 | Low launch, low spin | 54-68g (2g per club)

In addition, Titleist offers an industry-leading number of custom shaft choices, many at no upcharge.

T-SERIES AVAILABILITY: New Titleist T-Series irons will be available in golf shops worldwide beginning Aug. 30, with fittings beginning Aug. 8.

T100 & T200:

• Steel: MAP $235 CAD per club ($1,645 CAD/set of 7)

T300:

• Steel: MAP $171 CAD per club ($1,197 CAD/set of 7)
• Graphite: MAP $204 CAD per club ($1,428/set of 7)

Pictured above: Brady McKinlay of Lacombe, AB

FINAL LEADERBOARD FEATURING THE ALBERTANS

Click here for full scoring.

Click here to download images from the championship. (Photo credit: Justin Naro / Golf Canada).

Team Ontario won the 36-hole inter-provincial team competition, the Willingdon Cup, by combining to shoot 10 over par. Team Alberta, consisting of Max Murchison (Calgary), Andrew Harrison (Camrose) and Matt Bean (Canmore) finished runner-up, six shots behind Ontario at 16 over. This is Ontario’s first Willingdon Cup since 2014 and their 32nd since the inter-provincial competition was established in 1927.

A total of 76 players who finished 10 over par or better advanced to the final two rounds that will be contested at Glen Arbour. Albertans Max Sekulic, Andrew Harrison, Carter Graf, Logan Carver and Brady McKinlay all made the 36-hole cut.

WILLINGDON CUP FINAL STANDINGS

1. Ontario – Matthew Anderson, Charles Fitzsimmons, Ty Celone, *151-143-294 +10
2. Alberta – Andrew Harrison, Matt Bean, Max Murchison, *155-145-300 +16
3. Québec – Étienne Papineau, Étienne Brault, Olivier Ménard, *152-150-302 +18
4. Nova Scotia – David Williamson, Brett McKinnon, Kevin George, *160-145-305 +21
5. Manitoba – Colwyn Abgrall, Austin Dobrescu, Jordy Lutz, *155-151-306 +22
6. New Brunswick – Calvin Ross, Stuart Earle, Bastien Nadeau, *163-145-308 +24
6. Saskatchewan – Danny Klughart, Jehremy Ryde, Justin Wood, *161-147-308 +24
8. British Columbia – Jackson Rothwell, Isaac DH Lee, Roy Kang, *163-152-315 +31
9. Prince Edward Island – Curtis Hall, Saulomon Lanigan, Tyler Hashmi, *160-166-326 +42
10. Newfoundland and Labrador – Andrew Bruce, Ryan McNeil Lamswood, *164-163-327 +43
11. Northwest Territories – Stephen Versteeg, Ron Lafond, Brad Waugh, *187-172-359 +75

EDMONTON, ALTA — For the first time since 2016, a Canadian picked up a win on the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada.

Entering the 1932byBateman open with a heap of momentum following a runner-up finish at the Osprey Valley Open and a T3 at the HFX Pro-Am, Taylor Pendrith set the Edmonton Country Club course record with a closing 62, the best round on Sunday by three strokes, to win on the Mackenzie Tour for the first time of his career.

“I don’t know if it’s sunk in yet, but it feels really good and I’ve been so close many times,” said Pendrith, who lost in three separate playoffs during his 2015 Mackenzie Tour campaign. “To know that I’m a winner on this Tour brings me a lot of confidence. It’s hard to win on any Tour, so it feels awesome to be the champion here.”

41 events have transpired on the Mackenzie Tour since Adam Cornelson won the 2016 Bayview Place DCBankOpen, the last time a red and white flag was at the top of a leaderboard at week’s end.

“I’m having a lot of fun this year, travelling around and trying to have more fun than I have in the past,” said the Golf Canada Young Pro Squad team member. “It’s so cool seeing the fans out cheering on the Canadians, I’m not sure if there’s ever been more Canadians on the PGA TOUR and Korn Ferry Tour and here, so it’s pretty awesome.”

Pendrith entered Sunday trailing leader Will Gordon by four strokes, but birdies on three of his final four holes on the front nine quickly shrunk the gap and put the Canadian within two of the lead.

“Honestly, I didn’t look at the leaderboard all day today,” said Pendrith, who has played his last 16 Mackenzie Tour rounds in the 60s. “I’ve been playing really well the past few events and I knew a low one would potentially jump me up. I had a feeling on the first tee I was going to go post a low one.”

Three more birdies in his next six holes matched Pendrith with Gordon and Ryan Ruffels, who was also having himself a day with five birdies in his first 10 holes.

Eyeing down the 17^th hole, where he had made eagle in two of his previous three rounds, Pendrith launched a mammoth drive 390-yards down the fairway and had a gap wedge into the 560-yard hole.

“I figured I was getting close to the lead, but I didn’t really know,” said the 28-year old. “I thought about hitting 3-wood, but I decided that I had been hitting driver great all week, so I stuck with it and hit a really good drive, the best of the week there for sure.”

The Richmond Hill, Ontario native stuck his shot 10-feet from the cup and watched anxiously as his eagle try caught the edge of the hole and dropped to give himself a two-stroke lead.

“It was a really difficult putt, but it caught the high side,” said the fourth-ranked player on the Order of Merit. “I thought it was going to lip out on the high side, and then it dropped and that really capped off the round.”

Pendrith made a stress-free two-putt on the par-3 finishing hole and then went to the driving range to prepare for what could have been the first playoff of the season.

“It’s nice to finally break through and get that win,” said Pendrith. “I’ve been so close before, especially this season. With four events left I really want to keep that momentum going and maybe even jump another spot up the Order of Merit.”

Along with the victory, Pendrith picked up his fourth Canada Life Canadian Player of the Week Award of the season and is in good position to secure the second Dan Halldorson trophy of his career, awarded to the Canada Life Canadian Player of the Year.

Making birdie on his final two holes of the tournament, Lorens Chan finished as the runner-up to Pendrith.

Full results can be found here.

Alberta Golf (Edmonton) – The final hour of the Alberta Senior Mens Championship had the type of drama fitting for a provincial title. Edmonton’s Brian Laubman birdied the 16th hole and drained another birdie putt on 17 to tie Red Deer’s Ken Griffith heading to the final hole at The Derrick Golf & Winter Club. Both Laubman and Griffith had makable birdie putts on 18, Laubman missed his attempt setting the stage for Griffith who drained the winning putt to take his first Alberta Senior Mens title.

“I was still expecting Brian to make his putt on 18, that’s what you have to do.” said Griffith ” I just said gotta do it and rolled it in. I loved it, it’s a real honour to compete with so many good friends I have and I feel very fortunate to come out as the winner.”

Former Senior Mens champion Frank Van Dornick of Camrose defeated 2nd round leader Peter Major of Calgary on the first playoff hole to secure his spot alongside Griffith and Laubman on Team Alberta at the Canadian Men’s Senior Championship at Cedar Brae Golf Club in Scarborough, Ontario Sept 10-13 2019.

Team Alberta (L-R) Frank Van Dornick, Ken Griffith, Brian Laubman

Frank Van Dornick also takes the title as the super senior champion.

FULL LEADERBOARD

VOICED VIDEO RECAP WATCH:

VO and INTERVIEW FOR TV MEDIA

2019 SENIOR MENS PHOTO ALBUM 

PHOTO: 2018 Alberta/Montana Junior Ryder Cup from Whitefish, Montana.

Alberta Golf (Calgary) – The Alberta roster for this year’s Alberta/Montana Junior Ryder Cup has been finalized and consists of 6 boys, 6 girls and 2 coaches.

Alberta/Montana Junior Ryder Cup

Alberta Boys:

• Charlie Gingras
• Joe Kelly
• Jaiden Koonar
• Cole Ruelling
• Nikko Sebjanic
• Joel Sullivan

Alberta Girls:

• Georgia Barr
• Belle Brezovski
• Emily Cornwall
• Brooke Cuming
• Kalee Seto
• Alexa Wingnean

Coaches:

• John Deneer
• Tiffany Gordon

Team Alberta Coach: Tiffany Gordon at 2018 Alberta/Montana Junior Ryder Cup 

The Alberta/Montana Junior Ryder Cup was established in 1992 as an annual event between the Alberta Golf Association and the Montana Golf Association. The host club rotates each year between Alberta and Montana. The cross border battle has a rich history of talented youngsters who have used the event as a developmental opportunity on their competitive golf journey. Many Ryder Cup alumni have gone on to have very successful collegiate, amateur and professional golf careers. This year’s matches will be held August 6-8 at the Picture Butte Golf Club just north of Lethbridge.

Alberta Golf (Edmonton) – Peter Major of the Calgary Golf and Country Club started the second round of the Alberta Senior Mens Championship in a tie for 6th place but made a major move on Wednesday to take the lead heading into the final round. The 1989 Canadian Amateur Champion shot an even par round of 70 to post 1 over par for the tournament as the rest of the field went south in the late afternoon. Major’s 70 tied for the 2nd lowest round of the day at the Derrick Golf and Winter Club in Edmonton. Frank Van Dornick of Camrose shot the low round of 68 and sits 2 shots back.

Major has a 1 shot lead on Ken Griffith and Brian Laubman while 11 players are within 3 shots of the lead.

FULL LEADERBOARD

FINAL ROUND TEE TIMES

Alberta Golf’s Rec Series

In the same vein as having your golf clubs, clothes and shoes fit you, Alberta Golf has what may be the perfect fit for recreational golfers who want to experience tournament play but not the pressure to play well in those settings.

“In talking to recreational players, they like the competition but they don’t like the pressure. So, if you can come with a couple of your girlfriends or your buddies or even a mixed event with your kids, would you come and just have a fun round and see where you sit?” said John Burns, Field Manager for Competition and Membership with Alberta Golf.

In a nutshell the Rec Series can be defined as a value-based opportunity for recreational players to come and enjoy a round of golf. In other words – fun without the competitive vice grip which many high-end tournaments can produce for some of its participants.

Burns has taken the reins after the series’ rookie year and will guide it through 2019. He says the season has gone well so far with successful events at Banff Springs, Stewart Creek and Jasper Park Lodge. All three are bucket list courses with an easy-on-the-wallet price. The Ladies Team Classic in Canmore and the Alberta Rec Series Net Amateur Championship in Wintergreen are still to come in August.

The target demographic for this series is quite broad which makes it a very important piece of the puzzle for Alberta Golf as it works towards filling a gap in what they do for golf in this province.

“This is more designed to promote golf to the 50,000 members we have that have never even considered competing in an event either because they don’t think they’re good enough or because they don’t want the pressure of having to qualify or play against players which are head and shoulders better than them,” Burns said.

This series could be a tool which introduces new golfers to the game, expose those recreational players to new scoring formats and more importantly, it will provide some fun in the fresh air.  At its roots, this is a tournament for recreational players regardless of handicap which Burns says is a key component in attracting players.

For example, the Net Amateur was held at River Bend Golf and Recreation Area in Red Deer last year with about 80 men and women taking part. The men’s winner was a 26 handicap. Yep, that’s not a misprint. If there was a poster which speaks to what the Rec Series is all about then Burns says just look at the photo from the event last year.

“These are everyday people. These are the blue collar members who play maybe once a week, a couple of times a month,” said Burns. “These are not the hard-core tournament chasing people.” If Burns needed more evidence to convince him this series has some merit, he got it from his own experience.

“I sat in a number of scoring tents over the summer. When the scores started coming in the volunteers I was sitting with would say ‘Oh, I can do that’,” he said.

That was a perfect example of the stigma attached to competitions where everyday players would never sign up for because they feel they aren’t good enough to compete. Burns continued, “But when you see there is now an opportunity to play in an event that maybe caters to your handicap or your playing level, you’re like ‘yeah, come on let’s go’.”

Burns says he’s contacting men’s, ladies’ and seniors’ leagues around the province to cull players who may be interested in these low-key events. This doesn’t mean there will be foot-wedges and questionable drops during the round. There will of course be rules to follow and players will get the feeling of being in a formal event but not so rigid they feel the pressure of having to perform.

Players will need to be an Alberta Golf member with a recognized handicap in order to register for each event. Think of it like your league night at your club with your friends and then you sit down for a beverage after the round. “I don’t want it to be loosey-goosey. I want it to be fairly structured but at the same time I want people to come and have fun,” Burns said.

For your entry fee (which could vary from course to course) a player will receive his or her round of golf, a meal and tee prizes. In addition, there will be something to reward the winners which may be in the form of a gift certificate.

The one-day events will be stroke play but the Net Amateur will remain Stableford scoring which removes even more pressure to score well. In most cases, when you get to double bogey you pick up and move to the next hole.

Burns feels it won’t be hard to get people to play if they know about the series. Word of mouth will also help while he gets the information into courses around the province, so their members are aware of what is happening.

One of the tenets of Alberta Golf is to educate its members as well as grow the game of golf in Alberta and Burns feels this will add fuel to that fire. For many casual players in the province the Rec Series just might fit like a (golf) glove.

Why not try it on for size?

Rec Series 2019 Schedule

Stewart Creek Golf & CC, May 12th

Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, June 15

Fairmont Banff Springs Golf Course, June 29

Canmore, Aug 22/23 (2-day Ladies Team Classic)

Wintergreen, Aug 29/30 (Alberta Rec Series Net Amateur Championship)

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR AUGUST EVENTS

Alberta Golf’s Rec Series

This article was originally published in the 2019 edition of The Alberta Golfer Magazine. To view the full magazine, click here.